Solangelo - Ascent from Shadows
by citrus-shadow
Summary: Nico was in the infirmary. Again. After the Second Giant War, he expected to leave both camps behind, and the people in them as well. But, now there was something making him stay. My first fanfic, please don't judge too much. Rating it T just in case, though I think it will be mostly just fluff. We'll see.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **

**Hi! This is my first fanfiction, based on others that I have read. It is probably pretty bad, but I'm publishing it anyways because, why not? Some details and facts will probably be wrong, so I'm open to suggestions/critique.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters/settings. That all belongs to the author of the PJO/HOO series, Rick Riordan.**

Nico

I was lying on an infirmary bed. Again.

As far as I could tell, it had been two days since Will had decided that I was well enough, even though it had been two days more than our agreed three.

On the first day, he made me lie in bed all day as he checked all my vitals and obsessed over my excessive shadow-traveling in between tending to others. Though, I didn't apologise for it, as it wasn't my fault that I nearly killed myself transporting a statue across the Atlantic Ocean.

The next day, I got out of bed early to the sounds of Will rushing around the infirmary tending to patients. Will had spent the night at the infirmary due to the fact that there were many wounded demigods, both Roman and Greek. Most of the Romans had gone back to Camp Jupiter, minus a few and the wounded, who would make the journey when they had healed. I walked over to where Will was dropping things everywhere and cursing and handed him a roll of gauze, which was what he had been looking for. He looked up, surprised and flustered, and then muttered a quick thanks and went to healing others.

After that, I helped him in the infirmary even though I was still technically a patient. He checked me for signs of Underworld-type magic, and though he found none, he claimed he could still feel darkness in me and that he wanted to monitor me for a couple more days.

I wondered how much of that was true, though I didn't really have a problem with it it. But of course I argued with him. I couldn't have Will getting any ideas that I liked being with him in the infirmary. Which I didn't, of course.

Now, I realised that it would be a long time until Will stopped obsessing over me. Especially with this last incident.

After, I had gone to visit my mother's grave, just since I had missed the anniversary of her death during the war with Gaea. Unfortunately, being a child of the Big Three, I attracted certain attention. In the bright of day. I had stupidly forgotten about the time difference in Italy versus Camp.

I appeared in a dark alley as citizens walked by. I tried to look casual as I strolled out and made my way to the graveyard, though there were probably a few people wondering why there was a teenager in black holding a bouquet of simple wildflowers. After kneeling by my mother's grave for a while, I got up and decided to head back to camp. Of course, this was when some monsters decided to attack. A pair of empousai came at me, teeth bared. I hardly had time to unsheathe my sword to defend myself. As I fought off the empousai, I couldn't really be bothered to think about what the mortals were making of our fight.

I subtly moved closer to the nearest shadow. I hoped that I had enough strength to get all the way back to Camp after the first jump and the fight with the monsters, plus, it was on the other side of ocean. I sliced off the arm of one empousa, and while it hesitated, I slipped into the shadows.

I could hear whispers beckoning to me as I travelled through the darkness. They spoke of eternal peace and joining them. Of letting go and succumbing to darkness. Joining my mother, my sister. I squeezed my eyes shut. _Almost there. Hang on. _I felt the shadows pulling me ever closer. It was really quite tempting. It would be so easy to just… let go of everything. The burden of being a demigod. The nightmares I've endured. The guilt and shame of everything. It would be _so easy_.

_No. Keep going. _I imagined my friends, my new family, stretched across Romans and Greeks. Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Hazel, Reyna, Jason and… Will?

I pulled out of the darkness into the light of sunrise in Camp Half-Blood. I gasped, breathing heavily. I saw the shocked faces of the campers turning in my direction. Then I fainted next to the dining pavilion.

I groaned and tried to sit up with my eyes still half closed. Before I could sit up fully, I felt strong hands pushing me back down.

"Oh no you don't," Will's voice made me open my eyes and look around. Will really looked quite angry, and possibly concerned. I frowned at him. Well, who feels concern for a son of Hades? Well, there was Hazel and the rest of the Seven, but Hazel was his sister, and the Seven might as well have been family after all they had been through. But Will… Nico still couldn't figure him out. He had hardly known him before the Giant War. I suppose he _is _a medic, but still…

I groaned at his and lay back down with my eyes closed.

"So?" Will asked me.

"What?" I mumbled without looking. I could feel Will roll his eyes.

"What happened to you? There is a long gash on your arm," I looked down, and I noticed for the first time the wound I had. "Plus, you nearly dissolved when you came back from wherever you were. Well, I assume you went somewhere. No one knew where you were the other morning until you appeared out of the shadows." Wait. The other morning? How long was I out?

"I was in Italy," I muttered, opening my eyes to look at the furious medic. I knew what his reaction would be.

Will's eyes widened in shock. Then, they went back to blazing with rage.

"You know what? I'm not going to ask." Will turned away to get me some unicorn draught. Oddly enough, unicorn draught tended to help me more than nectar did, though it was more common in New Rome than at Camp Half-Blood. I took the half-full canteen from Will and sipped the drink slowly. Will watched me, his face now blank. "You know, I-We almost lost you. You were too transparent for us to use unicorn draught, nectar or ambrosia. In the end, we got Coach Hedge. You said that his nature magic helped last time, and it did this time as well. When you were solid enough, we gave you the unicorn draught. It's been three days"

I smiled faintly at him. "I'm ok now. Or at least better. And, if you want to know why I was in Italy, ask Annabeth. She'll definitely know. Also Hazel. Maybe Percy, if he remembers." Will just nodded. I wondered what he was thinking, his face still carefully arranged in a calm expression. It occured to me how much he would use that face. Whenever he loses a patient. Whenever he has to share the news. He can't break down. What does he hide? It can't be easy to watch all those brave, injured soldiers sigh their last breaths, always feeling like you could have done more to save them. In ways I think it is worse than being on the battlefield. The other side falls, and lives are just lost in the heat of the battle.


	2. Chapter 2

Will

When I made sure that Nico had emptied the canteen, I let him rest and went outside to take a break. I wandered around camp, looking for either Annabeth, Percy or Hazel. I was worried about Nico. He always closed himself off from others, and I was glad that he would at least trust Annabeth, Percy and Hazel with whatever this secret is.

I spotted Annabeth sitting in the strawberry fields reading a book. I didn't really want to interrupt her reading, as it very rarely turns out well, but I really wanted to know what was going on with Nico. I mean, Italy is across the Pacific Ocean, which Nico had shadow-traveled across only once before. I knew that this must have been important enough for him to go that far, though I did wish he were more careful, so I didn't push Nico to say anything more than I could tell he was willing to say.

"Hey," I sat down to Annabeth, "Uh, could I talk to about Nico?"

Almost immediately, Annabeth looked up. I was surprised. She narrowed her eyes at me.

"What about him?" She asked me carefully. Her grey eyes had always intimidated me, along with the rest of the campers.

"Well, he told me that he went to Italy the morning he nearly… faded. He said that you, Percy and Hazel know more." I explained. Annabeth put a bookmark in between the pages of her book and closed it.

"Nico has a lot of dark history. Even before he knew that he was a demigod. His dad being Hades and being in the 20s and 30s, well that makes for a pretty messed up childhood, compared to today. Also the pre-World War II thing."

What? World War II? I was kind of confused, but didn't say anything.

"I don't know. He's been through a lot. May 12th. It's the day his mother died. As far as I know, he goes to her grave in Italy every year on that day. So, I'm not surprised that he would go there so soon. He knew the risks, I'm sure, but I imagine he feels guilty for missing the day. I suppose you know what he's like."

I thought about this. I knew that he had gone through Tartarus and losing his sister, but apparently, it was much more than that. But, it never occured to me that he had grown up in the tense environment before a major war.

"What year was he born?" I asked Annabeth.

"1924, I think. He was ten when we found him and Bianca at that school." Annabeth replied. I nodded. "How is he?"

"He'll be fine soon. Has a scratch from, well, he didn't tell me. Not that I gave him a chance to. I had him drink more unicorn draught, and now he's resting."

"That's good. I'll try to talk to him about shadow-traveling, but, well, he does what he wants." Annabeth sighed.

We sit together in silence for a while. I'm about to go back to the infirmary to check on Nico and my other patients, when Annabeth speaks up again.

"He trusts you, you know. It may not seem like it, but he's starting to let his guard down, especially for you. He's happier. Take care of him. He needs it." Annabeth smiles sadly. She gets up and starts walking back to the Athena cabin, and I go to the infirmary.

Nico is fast asleep on his side, slightly curled up. He's frowning, as if he's dreaming of something, maybe not so pleasant. I hesitantly place my hand over his. It's cold and thin, but I squeeze it lightly. Almost as if Nico had felt it, he relaxed slightly. I smiled and went back to tending the few remaining wounded from the war.

The next day, I wake up in the infirmary on my small spare cot over to the side. I see that most of my patients are sleeping, with the exception of Nico. I start working on preparing bandages and medicines for if they are needed, and Nico joins me, like he did only about a week before. I smiled inwardly.

I had taught the medicinal purposes of different herbs that we often found in the forest around camp, and now, he hardly asked me any questions. He wasn't afraid of blood and gore, and he was learning well. If he didn't fight so well, I would be training him to become another medic.

"You know, you'd probably make a good medic." I mentioned it as an offhand comment, a praise. He laughed it off like it was a joke.

"Remember, son of Hades, god of the Underworld. I radiate death. You always say it yourself, you feel darkness in me. I can't heal others. I can pass you bandages, mix herbs. But, give me a scalpel, and I'd probably kill someone." Though he said it with a light airy, and maybe sarcastic, tone, I could feel the bitter tone underneath. I grabbed his arm.

"No. You wouldn't. I know you well enough. You can do good. Even your father is not only god of death and the Underworld, and he doesn't just kill people. Why can't you?" I demanded, suddenly angry, not at Nico though. Nico stared at me. I relaxed my grip and his arm fell away.

Nico shook his head, eyes full of pain. He went back to work, and we didn't say anything more.

Later, when I was about to go and sleep, Nico speaks without looking at me.

"Everyone has secrets, and I respect that. I think that I have more than most. Let me tell you, I've done some terrible things. Sometimes you cannot change a person's nature."

Nico didn't look for my reaction, and just climbed into his bed, curling up into a ball. He looked so small and vulnerable.

_Well, Nico, sometimes you can. To heal others, you yourself must heal first. I don't know how, but I'm here. You aren't alone._


	3. Chapter 3

Nico

I spent the next few days hanging around the infirmary, learning more about being a medic. Though, it wasn't as if I was going to be one. I may as well kill everything I touch, everything I care for. That was why I scoffed at Will suggesting that I could be a medic. I mean, sure, I know what rosemary is, but I was born of darkness and death, in a time of darkness and death.

Every night I dreamt. Sometimes they were nightmares, and sometimes they memories. Or memories warped into nightmares.

The most recurring dream is of Bianca. She is whole and live and beautiful, as she always was before. She laughed, her eyes twinkling. Suddenly, we are in Tartarus. She watches me with cold eyes. I call out to her every time, and every time, she turns away and her clothes transform into those of a Hunter. I fall away into the abyss. Usually I wake up. But tonight it is worse.

This time, one line of thought echoes through the Pit. _She left you. She does not love you. She _hates_ you. It is your fault. You did not save her._

I can almost hear Tartarus laughing at my fate.

In the past nights, I had been able to contain my anguish, and stay silent whenever I dreamed. But tonight, I jerk awake gasping, and promptly break down crying. I desperately tried to calm down before anyone woke up and saw me. Too late. Will stirred and sat up. He spots me half sitting, curled up on my bed in the dark. He climbed out of bed and sits on mine. He put his arm around me, murmuring softly. I couldn't hear him through the blare of my thoughts. _You did not save her._

Will looked at me with concern in his eyes, and I let go of my tears. They came streaming out as I sobbed in the older boy's arms, not caring what he thought. Maybe I was the son of the Underworld, but I could still be broken by the souls it claims.

I woke up to the soft sun rays shining into the infirmary. I was still curled up in a fetal position. I felt warm breath on my arm, and suddenly jerked, fully awake. By doing so, Will woke up, his arm still curled around my shoulder. He blinked a few times.

"Good morning Neeks," I tensed slightly at the nickname, one that he adopted recently after hearing some of the Seven use it, "Nightmare last night?"

I nodded hesitantly. "Yeah," I whisper. I lay back down. Will didn't ask anymore, and busied himself with taking my vitals before anyone else woke up. I almost missed his warmth as his arms wrapped around me. _Almost, _I reminded myself.

A while later, after I had gotten up and was about to head to breakfast, Will spoke up softly.

"You can tell if you are ready. If you never are, that's fine too. But I'm here." I paused. Then nodded, and continued out the door.

For a week, we continued on as usual. I found myself wanting to talk to Will more, if just to hear his voice. I also found myself noticing small things. Will would often rub a spot on his wrist when thinking or worried. Another thing was, his Southern accent. It became much more prominent when he was upset or agitated in some way. happened when he almost thought that a Roman camper had a wound infection, but then realized that the smell was from something else. There was also a small strand of hair that was always hanging in front of his face, though he never tucked it away. I resisted the urge to reach up and do it myself.

_No, you can't just… _do_ that! Ugh, damn Solace and his hair. It is not my fault he looks so cute all the time._ I thought, and stopped short at the last part. _No! wait. What? He is not cute. I mean _I_ don't think he is. He looks ok, I guess. But still! Ugh._

I refused to look at Will for the rest of the day. The next day, at breakfast, I found him studying at me.

"What is it?" I asked him, warily. He blinked, the only sign that he was caught off guard, but quickly gave a half smile.

"I think you are ready to go back to your own cabin. Your eating habits have improved very much, and your colour is much better. Less… pale." Will said. I only nodded reluctantly, but I knew he didn't pick up on it. Only I did. I _did_ want to go back to my cabin and be rid of the infernally protective and over-obsessing doctor, _didn't I_?

Will

I had been considering letting Nico go for a couple days. But, I didn't. Well, I could tell he didn't like being cooped up in the infirmary, but I kept him there for… well, selfish reasons, really.

For one, it was nice having someone there helping me with injuries. The rest of the Apollo cabin didn't know as much about healing as Nico, after so long in the infirmary. He knew what I needed, and how I worked. I had to say, it was very efficient. Though, I knew this excuse in my head would only last a little while longer, as many of the wounded were ready to leave.

Another reason, and probably the real reason I didn't want to let Nico leave was because I liked his presence. I liked having him around. I enjoyed getting to know him. Once I found myself watching him sleep. Thankfully, I caught myself before anyone noticed, or worse, he woke up. I knew something in Nico was very fragile, and maybe still broken. I couldn't resist wanting to help him. The night I heard him wake up, I wasn't really sure what I was doing. I kind of acted on instinct. I wanted to be there for him. Somehow, I could tell that it hadn't been his first night waking up. And I knew it wouldn't be his last.

Eventually, I told myself that Nico was perfectly healthy, and he could go. After talking to him at lunch, he packed his few possessions at the infirmary and went to his cabin.

That night, I slept at the infirmary again. There were still a couple demigods that had more serious injuries that had yet to be fully healed. As soon as I fell asleep, I was dreaming. It was a common phenomenon as a demigod, and I was used to it. I was in a dark room, shadows haunting the corners. Then I saw a boy in all black curled up in the corner so that he almost blended in with the shadows. At first glance, he was just sleeping, but coming closer, I could see that he was crying. His shoulders were shaking violently, and his face was buried in his arms. A moment later, I realized it was Nico.

I tried to go closer to comfort him, dream or not, but was stopped by some invisible dream-force thing about two meters away from Nico. I tried to call out to him, but no sound came out. I banged on the unseen barrier shouting out Nico's name. I sank to the ground, distraught.

Suddenly, I woke up. It was oddly cold and dark. I assumed it was just the after-effects of the dream, but I realized that I knew these shadows. I felt them through skin whenever I touched a certain other demigod.

I looked at the time. It wasn't yet morning, but the lanterns around the camp were almost always on. I stumbled blindly outside to a pitch black view.

"Nico," I whispered. I could hear whispers and shouts of confusion everywhere. People could feel the aura of death and darkness, and had come out to find out why. I started towards the Hades cabin.

"NICO!"

**So, another chapter!**

**Sorry this took a while. I am also working on another fic, also Percy Jackson (and Harry Potter) if you want to check that out. That will be a priority, so sorry if this isn't updated for a while. I will be heading out of town soon and will only be back in August. I will try to get another chapter published before then.**

**\- citrus-shadow**


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! I'm actually not dead... (which you would know if you've been keeping up with my other fanfic :), and if not, please do check it out!)

I'm so sorry for the long wait! As I probably said last chapter, I was on holiday for a while. Then something happened to my laptop when I got back. Then school started and then it was chaos. Well, okay, I'm exaggerating. But I've been focusing on my other fanfic a bit more, so this chapter took a while. Again, so sorry!

Anyways, enjoy!

\- citrus-shadow

Nico POV

It was another dream.

It wasn't Percy and Annabeth who fell into Tartarus. It was Bianca and Hazel. I was holding on to Hazel's wrist, and her other arm was holding Bianca. My grip was slipping.

"Don't let go of us." Hazel begged, eyes wide. I tried to regrip her hand, but instead her hand completely slipped from my grasp. I saw others start to fall around me, into the pit. Reyna, Jason, Piper, Cecil, Frank, Lou Ellen, even Percy and Annabeth.

"Not again! Please, Nico!" Annabeth sobbed. Percy's face held an expression of hurt and betrayal. All of their faces did. And then there was Will. He looked at me, with the same tortured look on his face.

"You can't save them. This is your fault. It always is. No one could ever love you. Not me, not Percy. No one will ever accept you." Then, he fell, and I followed. Slowly, everyone else disappeared. I was alone, falling to face the horrors of the pit. The descent was so long.

Will POV

Darkness was emanating from the Hades cabin. I banged on the door.

"Nico! What's happened?" I yelled. I tried the doorknob, which, as excepted, was locked. I continued to shake and yell at the wooden door in vain. Campers were crowding around the area. Lou Ellen pushed through the crowd towards me.

"I think I can open it. Just give me a sec." I stood back quickly, grateful that I could rely on friends like her. Chiron came over and started pushing the other campers back to their designated cabins. Percy and Annabeth stayed. The daughter of Hecate made quick work of the lock and the door's handle twisted open. I ran inside, Percy and Annabeth following close behind. Annabeth, being the intelligent daughter of Athena she was, held a lamp. In its dim light, I saw Nico curled up on his bed. His eyes were closed as if he were sleeping normally, by his body shook with rough sobs. Waves of shadow magic radiated off of him. I grabbed his shoulder and held it tightly.

"Nico, you have to wake up! You're dreaming! It's a nightmare. Just please wake up." I distantly heard Percy and Annabeth saying similar things. Despair, hurt, fear, anger. It all rolled off from Nico's small form. Soon, he began tocalm down. His sobs slowed, the shadows calmed, the temperature rose.

"That's it," I soothed, "You're all right. Everyone else is too." This seemed to help. Slowly, Nico's eyes blinked open slowly. He saw everyone in his cabin, then me. He burst into sobs once again and clutched me tightly. I hugged him back. I held the smaller boy tightly, as if it would kill me to let go.

~•~•~

In the morning, I woke in a chair. At first I was confused, then remembered Nico calming down, Percy, Annabeth and I carrying him back to bed, the former two having a whispered conversation. Then myself, sitting by his bed to watch him. I must have fallen asleep. I stretched, cramped after being in an awkward sleeping position and glanced at Nico. He seemed to still be asleep. I checked my watch and immediately stood up. It was nearly 10:30 AM, and I usually started at the infirmary around 7:30. I looked back at Nico for a moment, before rushing out the door of the Hades cabin.

I burst into the infirmary. I found my half-brother, Grayson, organizing my cupboard of various medical supplies. He was one of the Apollo kids who were more gifted at medicines, and he was only a year younger than I was, He heard me come and looked up.

"Seriously Will, how do you find stuff in here?" I stared for a moment.

"Uh… well, I look until I find it? I don't know, lately with the whole war thing, I haven't had time to organize. Nico's been helping me find stuff." Grayson perked up at Nico's name.

"Weren't you with him? That's what Kayla told me when she asked me to take over today." He frowned. "Why _are _you here?"

"Oh, uhh… I didn't realize you were here and I kinda just woke up." I scratched my back sheepishly.

"Well, go back and take care of Nico. After last night, I'm sure he'll need something." I nodded slowly. Without really thinking, I grabbed a canteen of unicorn draught and ran back to the Hades cabin.

When I go there, Nico was just stirring. He opened his eyes and squinted at me.

"Will?" Nico was frowning, as if trying to remember something. Suddenly, his eyes widened. He bolted upright. "What happened? Did I hurt anyone?"

I shook my head gently and pushed him back down. "No, but you are going to hurt yourself if you don't rest. You spent a lot of energy last night. Now, drink this and relax."

I internally winced. Did that sound harsh? Well, Nico didn't seem to notice, and instead just took the canteen and sipped at its contents slowly.

"I don't want to talk about it." Nico said simply, after a long time had passed. I cocked my head.

"You don't have to. But if you do, I'll be here, along with your other friends." Nico looked at me, and in his dark eyes I saw such deep sorrow. I wanted to sit down next him and hold him until he was alright. I wanted to raise his face to mine and ki— No. _You can't. Not when he's in this state. Maybe not ever._

Nico lay down on his side when he had drank about a quarter of the canteen. His back faced me, and I watched him.

For all I knew, he was homophobic. Well, he _was_ from the 1920s, when no one accepted homosexuality. Even if any of the Seven knew about his sexuality, I couldn't ask them for fear that they tell Nico. Though, what was Annabeth saying about Nico needing someone?

_Not in that way, you idiot. As a friend. Someone to support him. You can do that as a _friend.

Yeah, sure.

Nico POV

I could barely look at Will, each time remembering what my brain had made him say in my dream. It was truly awful. I knew he would never say that in real life. Or, at least, I hoped he wouldn't. I thought about it as I lay in my bed.

Will was so sunshine-y and bright and everything that I was not. Probably including straight. _Wait… does that mean I have another crush?_

Ok, maybe I had known for a few days. Or weeks. Yeah, weeks. After what had happened with Percy, I couldn't bear to watch Will find a girl and fall in love while I watched. Or maybe even if I told him, he'd reject me and I'd have to run away from camp again. So essentially, I couldn't do anything. Things were easier without people. You can't hurt a ghost's feelings. Well, they usually just don't care about anything. There _are_ dead, after all.

I curled up in my bed and lay there quietly. I could almost feel Will's gaze on my back, judging me. I was pretty sure he wasn't. I was really hoping he wasn't.

~•~•~

I never went back to sleep. For one thing, I was thinking about a certain blonde boy who was sitting by my bed (which did not help at all). Plus, I didn't want to go back to sleep after what had happened the last time I closed my eyes.

_You nearly destroyed camp. That can't happen again._

Not after the other demigods had gone through so much. After they had won a war but were destroyed by it. After they rebuilt from the scraps they had left. I couldn't do that. I just wasn't strong enough, and there wasn't much left anyways.

_If it happens again, leave. Forever._


	5. Chapter 5

Hello!

So... as you can tell, this story is less of a priority than my other one, and even that one is going pretty slowly. Also just note that I'm ignoring the Trials of Apollo because that just makes stuff confusing. So, Apollo is mentioned in this chapter. if you want, you can just imagine that this story is between BoO and ToA. Doesn't really matter.

Anyways, please enjoy! (or not, whatever)

\- citrus-shadow

Nico POV

I spent the next week just staying in my cabin and doing practically nothing. Will came and went every single day to check in on my health, and we rarely talked. I was afraid to leave my cabin or say anything to everyone else, because I didn't want to know if they were disgusted or afraid of me. If they found out I was gay… well, there's another reason I would leave camp.

One of the times Percy and Annabeth came a few times. Sometimes they talked, and other times, we hung out together. At first, I was uneasy that they wouldn't want to be around me, similar to before the end of the Second Titan War, but they were adamant that they still cared for me like before.

One afternoon, Percy, Annabeth and I were talking in the Hades cabin. Percy was called to do something with the naiads in the lake, leaving Annabeth and I alone.

"So, Nico…" Annabeth started with a sly undertone. This was slightly worrying, but I let her go on. "I know you are now over Percy, but have you found anyone who you like? Doesn't have to be a crush, just a general attraction."

I groaned. I knew that I could trust Annabeth with anything, and she and Percy already knew that I was gay, but I tried stalling anyways. "Annabeth, sometimes you're worse than Piper. Even on the Argo II, she and Hazel sometimes pestered me about love interests."

"Just answer the question. I already have a guess."

"You know that makes it worse, right? Ok, well I guess there is someone…" I said slowly. Annabeth nearly squealed.

"Tell me. Or at least give me a hint. It _is _a guy, right? What godly parent? Hair colour? Eye colour? Favourite food?"

"Yep, worse than Piper. Ok, there's no point in making you guess because you'd get it right in a split second." I paused. "Will Solace."

Annabeth jumped up, startling me. "I knew it!" She wore a triumphant grin. I blinked.

"So, _that_ was your guess?" Annabeth bobbed her head. She sat down again.

"You won't mind if I tell Percy, right? I mean, he _is _terrible at keeping secrets, but you can trust him." I nodded. "Ok. Now, do you know if he has any remote sense of attraction towards other males?"

"Umm… I don't know. I just assumed it was another doomed crush." I admitted. Annabeth quite nearly rolled her eyes.

"Well, I talked to him once, after your impromptu trip to Italy, and he seems to like you. Be friends with him, get to know him."

"Wait, so he _actually _went to talk to you? I told him that if he wanted to know why I was in Italy then he could ask you, Hazel or Percy. I didn't realise that he would actually do that." Annabeth smirked.

"See? He cares about you!" I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe. But that doesn't mean that he's not straight. He could think I'm a friend. Or maybe even just a patient." I protested. Annabeth sighed dramatically.

"No way. Just hang out with him. I can tell he has been been making you happier." Actually, if I thought about it, it was true. I liked being around Will. He was so bright and sunshine-y and out-going that was so different from me. But, like me, he was pretty stubborn.

"Ok, fine, I'll talk to him, but not about relationships or sexuality. That topic can come up on its own time." Annabeth nodded, knowing that this was the best she'd get from Nico. Percy came back a few minutes later. Later, when they were leaving, Nico stepped into the sunlight for the first time in over a week. It was really sunny. Especially with a brightening son of Apollo standing there.

Will POV

I was about to go check on Nico, when he, Percy and Annabeth walked out of the Hades cabin. I immediately brightened. It was the first time Nico came out of his cabin since his… incident. The sun would be good for his healing, and also being outside would get him reaccustomed to being around people. Well, that is if he moved from the doorway.

"Nico! You decided to come out into the land of the living." Nico grimaced.

"I felt like it had to happen at some point. But it's really sunny, and if it keeps up, I'm going back in. Your hair is also really reflective." I sent a silent prayer to my dad to ask him to stop being so… Apollo-like, if that made any sense. He probably wouldn't mind, because he whole-heartedly shipped Nico and I, ever since I accidentally spilled to him (via dream visit) that I had a crush on Nico. I had a suspicion that he knew about Nico's sexuality, but he gave no clues as to what it was.

"Well, come on, lunch will be soon." I steered the shorter boy towards the dining pavilion.

"I don't want to eat. You practically force-fed me an entire plate of food just last night." Nico protested. I stopped and stared at him.

"Most people eat three meals a day. _You_, Death Boy, haven't eaten for over 12 hours. You are having lunch, whether you like it or not." I continued to herd him to where the other campers had started to gather. I just hoped that the other campers wouldn't frighten Nico off by looking at him weirdly.

This was partially accomplished the noise level decreased slightly when Nico and I approached. They cast a few furtive glances Nico's way. Soon, Percy and Annabeth came in behind us. Annabeth, noticing the situation, subtly tripped Percy, who completely lost his balance and crashed to the ground. So much for great hero. He was quick on his feet when he wanted to be, but now, he was a total klutz.

"Hey! Wise Girl!" He grumbled, not very grumpily, as he got up. A few campers laughed, before resuming their previous conversations. I saw Nico flash Annabeth a grateful smile. She winked back.

~•~•~

Nico hardly ate anything, despite my constant nagging. He had a slice of bread and picked at a few leaves off a mixed greens salad.

After I finished, Nico got up and headed down to the lake. I followed him. He frowned.

"Why are you here?" He asked.

"Well, why can't I be? I'm trying to spend time with you." I smirked.

"You don't have to do other more important things, other than me?" He paused, then flushed. "I'm sorry that came out wrong."

"Very." I could feel a slight blush on my own face.

"Either way, I thought you would have to deal with other patients or just run the infirmary." Nico trailed off uncertainly.

"One of my brothers is running the infirmary for today. I've been doing most of the work lately, so they've been trying to rotate out more often." I looked at Nico, then asked in a light teasing voice, "You aren't trying to get rid of me are you?" Nico shook his head and blurted out.

"No! I mean, uh, I don't know." Nico and I just stood by the lake for a while. I wasn't sure if he was trying to avoid a conversation or not. As I was about to say something, Nico said something.

"Uh, do you want to go practice sword fighting? I haven't practiced in a while, so I'm a bit rusty." Nico asked.

"Well, you at your rustiest is probably infinitely better than me at my best. I am truly terrible at combat. I'm only slightly decent at archery. _Slightly_." Nico shrugged.

"I can teach you?" He said it more like a question as opposed to an offer. I smiled.

"Sure. But which one?"

"Either. I don't know. I'm better with swords than anything. What do you want to learn?"

"Anything. Let's go."

As expected, he kicked my ass, even when he was trying to instruct me. I walked out of the arena over two hours later sweaty, bruised and sore, though my fighting skills had barely improved.

Nico grabbed my arm when we were walking. As soon as I turned, he blushed and let go.

"Uhh. Do you want to do this again some time? Or just… um. Hang out?" He mumbled all of this, and avoided my eyes. I just smiled at him.

"Sure. That'd be great."

"Ok. Yeah." Nico finally looked at me. "Uh, we should probably shower before dinner. I'll see you then?" I nodded

"See you."


	6. Chapter 6

Nico POV

That didn't count as asking him out, right? Just training. Or hanging out. Or… I was seriously driving myself insane in the shower. I'd usually go to Hazel with things like this (though this whole romance thing is a new experience for me), but she wasn't here, and was probably be busy at Camp Jupiter, so I headed to the Athena cabin an hour before dinner. Honestly, Percy would be of absolutely zero help.

I knocked lightly on the door. it was Malcolm who came to open it.

"Uh. Nico! Hey! Um. Are you-are you looking for someone?" He stuttered awkwardly as I gazed cooly at him.

"Annabeth. Is she here?" Malcolm bobbed his head.

"Be right back." The son of Athena ducked back into the cabin. I leaned against the wall next to the door. I hoped he was always this weird around people, not just a son of Hades who just recently nearly destroyed his home. Or summer home. I didn't pay attention to who stayed year-round. Soon, the door opened again to reveal the person I _really_ needed advice from.

"Nico? Is everything alright?" Annabeth asked. I just grabbed her wrist and started walking. "Whoa, where are we going?"

"I don't know. Somewhere. I need your help." Annabeth sighed and started pulling me towards the lake. I let go of her wrist and just followed her.

"So, what's the problem?" Annabeth asked once we were seated on some rocks looking out on the lake, but obscure enough that we could talk privately. I explained the whole Will thing to her. She beamed.

"So you actually did it! And no, he could have taken it as a completely platonic hanging out type of thing. He likes you. You can worry about whether is gay or not another time. Just spend some time with him. Have some fun! We got over a war and we deserve some peace. I don't care about the gods. They can solve their own goddamn problems for once."

She glared at the sky. No thunder came rumbling. No lightning struck us down. Either Zeus wasn't listening, didn't care, or genuinely agreed with Annabeth. We spent some time sitting around until just before dinner.

"Thanks. Not just for this, for everything. You're great." Annabeth nodded and smiled warmly.

"Let's go back to eat." As we walked, Annabeth said something else. "You know, one time I left camp for a couple hours—a quick shopping trip—and while I was out, Percy freaked out that Hera kidnapped me and then he Iris-messaged me. While I was in public, so I had to use the Mist to cover up. Anyways, I couldn't get mad at him because he's so cute when he's worried." She paused and glanced at me. "Will was nearly the same. While you were out after visiting your mother's grave. I mean I didn't think he was cute but he was worried and I think he really cares about you. And you like him, too!"

She stopped walking. A sly grin formed on her face. "Oh no, do you have an idea? I never know what to expect from you. You and your crazy genius brain."

"I totally ship it. You and Will." She got a thoughtful look for a moment. "_Solangelo_. Even if Will doesn't know it, there are many eyes on him. I told Percy, and he totally agrees with me." Annabeth started walking again.

"I don't think that you and Percy count as 'many eyes'. Who else did you talk to about this? No, did you tell all the Seven? Well, minus L—never mind. Who did you tell?"

Annabeth either didn't notice my near slip about Leo, or didn't mind. "Oh, no, not everyone. Just Piper and Hazel. And… Reyna."

I stopped short. "_Reyna?_ _Are you serious?"_ The daughter of Athena laughed and started running. She did for good reason too. I started running after her. I somehow was still slower than she was, and we both reached the dining pavilion winded.

"But seriously. Now Reyna is going to kill me if it doesn't happen."

"If what doesn't happen? Why is Nico in danger of being murdered?" I nearly jumped. It was Will. I stared at him, my tongue unable to form coherent English. If I hadn't waited, I'm sure that I would have talking in Italian.

"Oh! Uh, no reason. Just… Reyna being Reyna." Cue awkward laugh. Will didn't really seem to notice, and Annabeth had somehow snuck off to her own table.

"Oh ok. Anyways, you _are_ planning on eating, right?" I nodded. "Good."

I went to sit at the Hades table. I found it odd that the Hades, Poseidon and Zeus cabins had the least people, and yet the tables were the same size as the others. I know Chiron probably didn't want to offend the Big Three, but it was just a waste of space. And it made me feel... in some ways, lonely. I nearly laughed at myself. I went through _so much_ on my own, I shouldn't care about sitting by myself at dinner. My brain is just weird. No, my heart.

Will kept glancing at me, I guess to make sure I was eating. But each time, I felt my face heat the slightest bit, and could feel each pulse of my heart in my chest.

My heart is most definitely a weird thing. Unpredictable. Irrational. Weird.

~•~•~

After that first time, Will and I sparred more frequently. Not even just sparring. We both tried archery, though we were both pretty terrible. I tried using a dagger, but I was infinitely more comfortable with a sword, and a few other type of weapons. Will's combat skills were improving, albeit very slowly. We never brought up the topic of being anything more than friends.

Of course, all this time, my crush on Will not only refused to lighten up but strengthened instead. I couldn't bring myself to tell Will even the detail that I was gay. For a little while, I had the excuse of coming from the 40s when everyone was homophobic, which was not a lie, but then I adjusted to modern life and realized that most people were okay with gay people. They even had some acronym representing more sexualities, though I couldn't bother to remember it. I think the two biggest things I was afraid of was Will being one of those homophobic people, and I would not only have my heart broken, but also would lose my friendship with Will. Second was Hazel. She came from about the same time I did, and she was there longer, with more intact memories. Who knew what she'd think. I couldn't lose another sister.

Annabeth kept dropping slight hints, and Piper did too when she visited once. She and Jason were still looking for Leo, after he had sent a holographic message a week or two back. I was pretty sure they had plans to go to Los Angeles to resume high school, though Jason had said they still weren't sure. Then there was Percy, who was still oblivious.

I was surprised, and worried, that Reyna hadn't said anything about however much Annabeth told her. No Iris-Messages, no eagle messages, nothing. Several times I nearly convinced myself to contact her on my own, but I backed out as soon as I took out a drachma. It was nearing the end of September when I decided to call, with Annabeth for back-up.

She was fuming when the image formed. Not at us though. I stayed silent and watched her (from behind) listen to some guy stutter on about… well, I couldn't tell. He was incoherent. When Reyna ordered him somewhere else, she sighed and turned to Annabeth and I.

"Hey guys. Sorry I was occupied with… well, just camp stuff." Of course she knew we had been watching.

"Hi Reyna." Annabeth smiled brightly.

"Hi Reyna." I echoed, letting myself smile a bit.

"So, Nico, I gave you some time. Now you owe me some details." Reyna demanded. I blinked.

"Well, camp is good. I've decided on renovating the Hades cabin, though that isn't starting for a while. Jason and Piper are looking for Leo, though I think you knew that." Reyna sighed.

"Nico. You know that's not what I'm asking about. I don't want to hear any more about camp or other people. What's going on with _you_?"

"I've been doing better, not fading into shadows. I can start to shadow-travel short distances without feeling too weak, but Will doesn't know I'm experimenting. He's forbid me from shadow-travelling."

"Ok, stop there. Will. Tell me more."

"What's there to talk about?" I tried stalling, knowing she'd get more out of me eventually.

"Well, I know that you know that Annabeth told me about your thing for Will. I need updates. Not Annabeth, from you." Reyna pressed. I cracked a smile.

"He's… he's just an amazing person. I really do like him." I said shyly, face heating slightly. Reyna grinned.

"And now, Nico, we're getting somewhere! Good job!" She exclaimed. "Now, _more_."

"Well, the last couple months I've been training with him a bit. I tried teaching him some stuff, but he's much better at healing. While I was at the infirmary, he taught me some stuff. I think I'm a much better student than he is."

"That's all good, but if he's gotten to know you already, just tell him that you like him. There's pretty much no chance of him rejecting you, from what I've heard."

I glanced at Annabeth.

"How much have you heard?" I asked slowly. The daughter of Athena smirked.

"Quite a bit, really. Annabeth tells me you watch him way too much. And you get flustered when he touches you. And, well I could go on. But you also open up to him, you are comfortable with him. And I think that that's really important for you." Reyna looked at me, her dark eyes softening. "You still have nightmares? Both of you?" I looked at Annabeth again and actually noticed the dark circles under her eyes, knowing mine were just as visible.

"Yeah. They're getting a bit better." Annabeth murmured in a low voice. I opened my mouth, then closed it again. I just nodded.

"Gods I wish Iris-messages were portals of some sort. Though they are much better than just eagles."

Annabeth gave a weak smile. I nodded absently. We stayed like that in a comfortable silence for a while longer, before we changed the subject and just caught up on some things. Frank was doing well as praetor, and I was glad to hear he and Hazel were still happy together.

Eventually the horn blared for dinner, so we wrapped up our conversation.

"I want to hear Will updates the next time we call. And it has to be _soon_. Make a move Nico. Bye!" Reyna waved her hand through the image and it faded away to just mist. I smiled, a slight blush coloring my cheeks.

**I'm sorry this took so long to be updated. I was just had more ideas for my other fic, and this one was... you know, writer's block and whatnot. I've also been considering starting another fic, though I think I will wait until this one is closer to finished. **

**I hope you enjoyed this update.**

**\- citrus-shadow**


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